Side Trips on the way to Seattle
- Kristin Jones
- Jul 21, 2020
- 5 min read
I've now been on the road for over a month after leaving Placerville, California on June 19th. Besides summiting Mount Shasta, Mount Saint Helens and Mount Adams, I have been taking time to see friends and family, stopping in some cool locations for photo opportunities, hikes, or kayaking, and continuing to work remotely from the road. I'm currently writing this post from my friend's patio in South Park just south of Seattle.
The original inspiration for my road trip was to do a circuitous route around to all of the National Parks I've never been to. With COVID and an RV that needed more repairs than I could manage, my plans for this year have had to be much more flexible. As the country started opening up again in June, I made new plans to head North to Seattle with a stop at Crater Lake National Park. I had hoped to go through Crater Lake at the end of summer when there was less snow so I could hike and camp, but with the new plan I decided to just spend a day driving through and make plans to come back in the future.
The drive through was absolutely worth it and I arrived on a stunning day with blue skies and warming temperatures. I drove up via Kalamath Falls on Highway 62 and initially parked at the Rim Village Cafe and Gift Shop, which was open. As it was June, there was still some snow covering the trail but not significant and I walked along the rim path reading signs about the lake's origins and statistics.
As the East Rim Drive was closed, I took the West Rim Drive and stopped at every view point for photos. Each spot seemed to be better than the last, and the lake reflections improved as the day warmed up. From the ridges, you could see that Wizard Island has some buildings on it and I learned that you can take guided boat trips out and hike to the top of its peak and crater so I have added that to my list of future hikes.
From the West Rim, I was able to exit via the North Entrance and headed East on 138 to then catch Highway 97 through Bend, Oregon on my way to Vancouver, Washington. It's been nice having the bandwidth to take the longer, scenic routes and see little parts of the Pacific Northwest that are new to me. I had a lovely lunch stop in Bend, where I took advantage of the breweries being open again to get a flight of Belgian beers. And after a beautiful drive over the Mount Hood area, I pulled into Vancouver, Washington where friends I've known since I was a teenager put me up in their motorhome so that I could work from there.
From Vancouver, I then moved on to stay with a cousin who lives in Randle, Washington which is a stunning valley surrounded by green tree covered peaks and peek-a-boo views of Mount Adams. There are also many trails and lakes accessible by the numerous Forest Service roads in the area. Highlights from my time in Randle, included a few road runs, kayaking at Horseshoe Lake with epic views of Mount Adams, a quick hike/run up Dog Mountain with the best views of Riffe Lake, and a very foggy hike up to Mount Margaret that finally gave us some views of Mount Saint Helens.
4th of July weekend was spent camping with a different cousin near Ashford, just outside the entrance to Mount Rainier National Park. On the drive up, I did a detour for a trail run through the Grove of the Patriarchs, by Silver Falls, doing a loop through the Ohanapecosh camp ground and also checking out the hot springs. I was hoping to take Stevens Canyon road up and over Paradise to Ashford but it was closed, so I retraced my way back to Packwood and took the Skate Creek road instead, which is winding and lovely along the Nisqually River. Also on Skate Creek, is the access road to High Rock Lookout, that while short at just under 4 miles round trip, is an amazing lookout tower on top of a rock (so literal) with incredible views of Mount Rainier (and if it hadn't been cloudy I suspect Adams and Helens as well. Even with the moody clouds rolling through, I would do this hike again.
From Ashford, I headed back south to Mount Adams, and felt very validated and happy to have my truck. I would never have attempted or made it up to the Mount Adams South Climb trailhead in an RV. On the way up, I passed a Prius checking the under carriage for damage and a Subaru changing a flat tire. My truck handled all the pot holes, rocks and uneven terrain like a champ. Additionally, I slept in my truck fairly comfortably prior to heading up the mountain. I laid down both seats this time, have a yoga mat doubled over to help bring the cargo space up to the level of the seat, then my air mattress, sleeping sheet, and sleeping quilt, and I used my blanket stuffed into a bag as a backrest/pillow.
My final stop before Seattle, was to stay with a friend in Puyallup, work from there and play a little too. We ended up going for a little trail/park run in her neighborhood one day. The second day, we worked from her boat and took kayaks out on the Puget Sound near Tacoma for our lunch break. I have definitely been spoiled by friends with boats and kayaks!
Now in Seattle, I have gotten in a couple hikes with friends including Snow Lake, Gem Lake and Lake 22. While I have some downtime, I've gravitated back to a similar routine from when I lived here before of working, running or going to my personal trainer for cross training and then enjoying the best summer weather on the patio, by the fire pit, or today, lounging on a boat out on Lake Union with friends. The nostalgia of being back after a couple years is good, but the city has changed a lot, I have changed a lot, and being outdoors and away from the masses is calling to me. Plus, parking my truck in the city is not great!
With my belly full of all of my favorite Seattle foods and my heart full from quality time with friends or family, I'll start heading East soon. I've got a trip to Chelan to take the ferry out to Stehekin on the calendar and I just made reservations for Yellowstone for the end of August. It will be hard to say goodbye, but I have to keep moving forward and Seattle isn't home right now.
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